Two South San Francisco police officers have filed a federal lawsuit against the Police Department, saying they suffered workplace discrimination because of serving extended military deployments overseas as Army reservists, including two tours each in Iraq.

Federal law requires employers to take back returning military personnel at the level they would have achieved without interruption for service and prohibits discrimination based on service in the armed forces.

The two officers are seeking immediate promotion, back pay for the positions they were seeking and unspecified monetary damages, according to a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in San Francisco.

The lawsuit, which also names the city of South San Francisco and Police Chief Mark Raffaelli, says the chief "created a hostile environment for police officers who had served and were serving in military service."

Raffaelli called Carter's military unit to ask whether Carter "had volunteered for active duty and asking if he could fire him," according to the lawsuit filed July 13.

The chief also badgered both men to leave the military, criticized Zimmerman's comments at a February 2007 City Council meeting honoring military members and said police officers who served in the military were doing so "for purely selfish reasons," according to the lawsuit.

Raffaelli, in an interview Thursday, said he hadn't yet been served with the lawsuit but denied any wrongdoing. He called the comments attributed to him at the council meeting "totally false."

"I'm trying to figure out where the rest is coming from," Raffaelli said. "I guess it's in the perception of individuals."

Zimmerman, a police corporal, contends that a less-qualified officer was promoted to sergeant over him. Carter, a police sergeant, contends that two people he used to supervise were promoted to lieutenant over him.

City Attorney Steve Mattas said he hadn't seen the lawsuit and couldn't address specifics or discuss personnel matters. But he said, "The city does not believe that there has been any discrimination against them. The city does respect their contributions as far as their service in the military."